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Testing begins on bigger trains

Melbourne’s first high capacity metro train has entered the testing phase.

Manufactured in Newport in Melbourne’s west, the first trains of a total fleet of 65 will progressively enter service on the city’s busiest rail corridor - the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines from mid-2019.

The final fleet set of 28 will serve the Sunbury to Pakenham corridor, linked by the new Metro Tunnel when it opens in 2025.

The 160-metre train is the first new design being purpose-built for Melbourne’s metropolitan network in almost 20 years.

Consisting of seven carriages, the new train will have more seats than any other train currently in operation on the network and will undergo rigorous testing in Newport being relocated to the Pakenham East depot for further testing.

Each train will undergo extensive testing to ensure it complies with tough international standards in the interests of passenger safety. Manufactured and assembled by more than 175 workers in Newport, the High Capacity Metro Trains Project will result in 1100 jobs including opportunities created through the supply chain.

The trains are being built using 60 per cent local content - more than any other project of its kind in Australia.

The train’s bogie frames are being constructed in Bendigo, traction and electrical systems made in Morwell, key electrical components and pantographs from Hallam, gearboxes from Altona and air-conditioning units from Derrimut.

The project is creating opportunities for Victorians of all ages - 15 per cent of the total working hours are dedicated to apprentices, trainees and cadets.

Opportunities are also being provided for people facing barriers to employment such as long-term unemployed, people with disabilities, and Indigenous workers.